Broken Walls

Breach

Jean Kirstein cursed as he ducked into the alley. He was exhausted and his eyes drooped. This was not what was supposed to happen. It was just a routine sweep of the Maria territory. There weren't supposed to be Titans, not this far into the wall, not since they'd blocked the gate in Shinganshina. It had only been an eight meter class, which might explain how it had hidden this long. Not on purpose of course, Titans weren't intelligent. But everything was wrong.

His partner was gone, devoured by the monster. And he was grounded, his maneuver gear broken trying to save his companion. The propulsion device completely crushed.

Jean pulled its metal plate out of his lower back, suppressing a scream and gasping in pain, as he examined the twisted, bloody metal.

Thoughts flew through his mind in a flurry. How was he going to reach the wall? What if he couldn't make it? How was he going to get back over the wall if he got there? Was he going to die? "You always know what you're supposed to do." Marco's voice smiled in his head.

His breathing deepened. He began taking his jacket off, wincing as it torqued his injury. He then ripped the sleeves off and tied them over the wound, slowing the bleeding.

He had scarcely replaced the jacket and picked up his blades when a looming figure appeared over his head. He rolled out of the way as a giant fist smashed the wall he had used for shelter.

Grunting he continued his run for the wall, not knowing what, if any, good it would do him. He was too sluggish and tired from blood loss. The large creature grabbed him around his torso.

"Gyaa!" He gasped in shock struggling to stay on the ground; to keep running, to survive.

Desperately he slashed the Titan's hand. It was an awkward movement resulting in very little damage, instead serving to anger the massive beast. It began smashing him repeatedly into the nearest building.

Jean clung to consciousness and the Titan's hand fighting to last with everything he had, his eyes trying to shut out the horror. Physically there was no battle he'd gone limp after the first blow, but the abuse his body was taking went straight to his mind.

When he didn't move, the Titan began bringing him towards its mouth. Jean waited for the end. What else could he do?

The blue sky was beautiful, offset by occasional white clouds. The calm sweetness seemed to taunt his death, and tears filled his eyes as he realized no one would know how or when he had gone, just like Marco. Slowly, his vision of the blueness became obscured as the mouth of the Titan began enveloping him.

Jean's finger twitched on the trigger of his sword. His sword! Somehow, he'd managed to hold on to it! His eyes widened and instinctively he stabbed upward into the giant roof of the creature's mouth disconnecting the hilt from the blade.

To alleviate the pain, the behemoth threw Jean to the ground in a heap and began digging the metal out of its maw.

Landing on his front after rolling a few times, Jean lay still, stunned.

There was a cry of anguish as the titan freed the blade and tossed it aside. Angrily it lifted a foot over the limp man.

Just as his life was about to be snuffed out, there was a slicing sound followed by an animalistic cry. The titan grabbed the back of its neck stumbled backward and fell, sizzling sickly.

Jean looked up and saw a pair of slender boots running toward him. From the waist down he could tell it was a female but he could not see higher.

She knelt and her silky black hair flowed around her shoulders. He had not noticed the length it had acquired until now.

"Mikasa?" He breathed.